Our Journey: 2004 to 2021

I also gained first-hand knowledge of the obstacles facing the nascent renewable energy sector during my five-year tenure as the Director General of the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), the state nodal agency for renewable energy, during the establishment of (about) 450 MW of wind power projects and numerous other RE projects in Maharashtra. There was significant opposition facing the wind sector then, with people attributing reduction in rainfall and increased bird mortalities to the deployment of wind turbines.

But this did not in any way dampen my conviction that renewable energy held the key to India’s future energy security. Early movers should be prepared to weather the storms of opposition and doubts that cross their path, especially those emanating from a sea of misinformation and entrenched perceptions. It was thus imperative to work against these odds and create a conducive and favourable atmosphere that would dispel opposition, spur sustainable innovation, and lead the way to a new-age and clean energy, sustainable future.

The realization of that need and possibility was the seed that I nurtured and which resulted in WISE. The objectives we set for ourselves were: gaining in-depth knowledge of the sector through research, spreading the knowledge through mass media, trainings and conferences, creating a conducive policy and regulatory environment for mainstreaming renewables, and enhancing knowledge and capacities of governments (national and international) and the industry. Two key activities: creation of an in-house specialist library and publication of a bi-monthly magazine ‘Green Energy’ (exclusively devoted to spreading knowledge and awareness on sustainability) were taken up on priority.

Our first project came from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). It was a small project for providing knowledge support for establishing a wind-solar hybrid project in the Dharavi suburb of Mumbai. And finally the ball started rolling. We started receiving projects in the areas of policy, regulation and capacity building from international donors, government and the industry. As our work grew, so did our team of technical and economic experts.

We received a lot of support and assistance from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) for several innovative projects, including a nation-wide awareness building program for the print media on sustainable technologies and the futuristic need for RE development way back in 2005. Under the program, we trained around 400 journalists over a period of one year.

Mediating public policy has always been a key priority for WISE. One of our earliest initiatives was advocacy for a Renewable Energy law. In early 2005, we constituted a committee of experts to draft a model RE law for the country. The effort received nationwide support, including from some top-ranking judicial experts and policy makers. Many seminars and events were held in different regions of the country for its advocacy. The draft was submitted to the government, but unfortunately, could not be adopted at that point in time.

Around 2007/08, the environment for RE in the country began seeing positive change. Renewables were now moving from the periphery into the mainstream. By 2008, India had announced the National Action Plan on Climate Change. We in WISE felt vindicated and were enthused to work with continued commitment.

By 2012, we had trained over 4000 professionals from the RE industry and government. In 2012, the prices of photovoltaics began to fall, opening up the possibility of large scale development of solar energy in India. Our 2007 ‘Solar India’ optimism was fructifying. We now had four specialist technical centres focused on Wind Power, Solar Power, Renewable Regulation, Policy and Sustainability Research, besides Training, and Communications and Outreach. In 2017, post the Paris agreement and announcement of the sustainable development goals, we introduced two new specialist centres in WISE: Climate and Sustainability which replaced our Centre for Policy and Sustainability Research (with more emphasis on climate mitigation and adaptation) and Energy Efficiency.